Category Archives: Science & Technology

JSW Steel commissions Cold Rolling Mill in Karnataka

Business & Economy, Records, All, Science & Technology

Company has invested Rs 4,500 cr to set up the 2.3 mn tonne per annum plant to manufacture high-end auto-grade steel, first time in India

JSW Steel  has taken one more step forward in its journey of diversification by commissioning the first phase of 2.3 million tonne per annum (MTPA) Cold Rolling Mill -2 at Toranagallu in Karnataka’s  Bellary district. The company has invested Rs 4,500 crore to set up the plant in technical collaboration with Japan’s JFE Steel.

The CRM-1 is already operational since 8 years and manufactures special steel for under body parts in passenger cars.

With this, the company aims to capture a sizeable portion of auto-grade steel market in India. Currently, Indian automobile  industry imports about 1 million tonnes of high-end steel with a strength level of 980 MPA (Megapascal) annually to manufacture premium passenger cars and sports utility vehicles (SUVs). The company plans to capture a sizeable portion of this market, which is estimated to grow at 0-15% in the coming years.

“We have invested a huge amount of money to set up this plant, which will help the automobile industry save precious foreign exchange and also reduce dependency on the imported steel. We will be able to supply the high-quality steel at shorter duration (4 weeks) compared to the present time period of 3 months to import. We can also offer the steel at 15% lesser cost compared to the imported material,” said Vinod Nowal, deputy managing director, JSW Steel Limited.

He said the company has entered into a dialogue with several automobile companies to test its new steel. They include Honda, Hyundai, Maruti, Toyota, Ford, Nissan and Volkswagen among others.

“The entire process of test and try our new steel will take at least 8 months for the automakers and once they place the order, we will start the supplies. Until then, we will manufacture the product for general engineering industries,” he told reporters, here today.

Nowal said the new CRM-2 complex, with a production capacity of 2.3 million tonnes per annum has capability to produce high strength and advanced high strength steel, both in uncoated and coated (galvanized and galvannealed GI and GA) categories and wider width up to 1,870 mm. It also includes a Continuous Annealing Line, which is the first to start operations in India, he said.

JFE Steel of Japan has a 15% stake in JSW Steel and has provided technical assistance to develop various grades of auto steel, including steel for external panels for automobiles, to meet the high demand from both domestic and international arena, he said. The phase-2 of the CRM-2 plant consisting of 0.95 MTPA Continuous Annealing Line (CAL-2) is targetted to be commissioned during the first half of FY16.

source: http://www.business-standard.com / Business Standard / Home> Companies> News / by Mahesh Kulkarni / Toranagallu (Bellary District) / April 23rd, 2014

University of Agricultural Sciences to tie up with Australian centre for crop development

Education, Green Initiatives / Environment, Nature, Science & Technology, World Opinion

Hubli :

The University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad, has sent a proposal to the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), Canberra, Australia, seeking collaboration in natural resources management, crop improvement and agriculture business development.

The proposal was submitted to Dr Ejaz Qureshi, the research programme manager of the Agricultural Development Programme for South Asia and the Pacific (ACIAR). The varsity is in the process of signing an MoU with the government of Monitoba.

If it happens then the varsity can have the expertise in food technology to provide exposure in the food processing technology. It is also decided to create experiential learning opportunities for students, establishing pilot plants for food technology centre and academic exchange programme for scientists.

The initiation was taken up during the visit of Dr Robin Young, project coordinator of Food Development Centre, Government of Monitoba, Canada in the month of February, 2014, said Dr Rajendra Potdar, Head, Project Planning & Monitoring Cell, UAS.: The University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad, has sent a proposal to the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), Canberra, Australia, seeking collaboration in natural resources management, crop improvement and agriculture business development.

The proposal was submitted to Dr Ejaz Qureshi, the research programme manager of the Agricultural Development Programme for South Asia and the Pacific (ACIAR). The varsity is in the process of signing an MoU with the government of Monitoba.

If it happens then the varsity can have the expertise in food technology to provide exposure in the food processing technology. It is also decided to create experiential learning opportunities for students, establishing pilot plants for food technology centre and academic exchange programme for scientists.

The initiation was taken up during the visit of Dr Robin Young, project co-ordinator of Food Development Centre, Government of Monitoba, Canada in the month of February, 2014, said Dr Rajendra Potdar, Head, Project Planning & Monitoring Cell, UAS.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Hubli / by Srinivas Reddy, TNN / April 23rd, 2014

Amazon takes kirana route to deliver goods

Business & Economy, Science & Technology, World Opinion

Bangalore :

E-commerce giant Amazon, whose founder and CEO Jeff Bezos recently spoke of the possibility of drones dropping goods to US homes in the near future, is embracing the neighbourhood kirana  store to push the delivery advantage in India.

This week in Bangalore, Amazon, in what’s a first in India, started piloting the concept of enlisting kiranas as delivery points. The move can help it overcome the problem of failed deliveries, a pain point for most e-tailers globally, making the last-mile logistics less complicated.

“We are continually innovating to find solutions that enhance convenience and experience for our customers. We are running a pilot for in-store pick-up service in Bangalore. We have identified and trained staff at small kiosks and stores, run by individual entrepreneurs, to be our shipment pick-up points,” Amazon India country head Amit Agarwal told TOI last week.

What is significant is how — unlike Indian organized retailers like Big Bazaar who have traditionally been pitted against mom-and-pop stores — this move from Amazon will help create a hybrid model where online players leverage corner shops to boost customer convenience.

“Depending on the results, we will take a call on how and what we want to roll out nationally at an appropriate time,” Agarwal said. Amazon will pay a fee to these smaller brick-and-mortar retailers, but the world’s largest online retailer did not give details of its financial arrangement with the offline stores.

The project is an indigenous improvisation on Amazon Lockers, which the company operates in the US and some other markets. Amazon Lockers act as self-delivery locations to pick up parcels from. “We want to be inventive in executing our global strategy locally. We have a team of passionate builders in India,” said Agarwal, who has had a 15-year career with the Seattle-based Amazon, including a stint as executive assistant to the much storied Bezos.

The India head of the $75-billion internet giant, which started off by selling books two decades ago, said the domestic e-commerce market “is still in its early days” and possibly some of the present bigger names wouldn’t exist in the future. Amazon is turning the heat on incumbent market leaders like Flipkart and Snapdeal with its trademark aggression focused on customer convenience, lower prices and a gargantuan collection. Both Flipkart and Snapdeal, which operate on the same marketplace model like Amazon, are well-funded by VCs and strategic players like eBay. The Indian e-commerce market, estimated at $2 billion at present, is expected to grow to $8.5 billion by 2016, according to projections by venture fund Accel Partners.

“The India operation is one of the fastest build-outs for Amazon globally—in terms of selection, sellers, traffic and even mass media advertising,” Agarwal said. Amazon has been particularly sharp-focused on its one-day delivery in top 20 cities and recently introduced a ‘scheduled delivery’ programme for high-value products like televisions.

It entered India ten months ago with a marketplace model since Indian laws place restrictions on foreign investments in multi-brand retail. It had earlier tied up with India Post Services to leverage the government postal system’s extensive reach. “We use IPS for over 19,000 pin codes through 1,40,000 post offices across all 35 states and Union Territories in India. The number of deliveries through India Post has increased from 800 last June to over 10,000 by March this year,” Agarwal said.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> Business> India Business / by Samidha Sharma & Boby Kurian, TNN / April 24th, 2014

Brindavan Hospital opens its services to public

Science & Technology
Dr. B.H. Manjunath, Director of the hospital, is seen addressing the press conference as Dr. A. Sonia Mandappa, Dr. K. Ravindranath, Dr. Harish Kejriwal and Dr. B.M. Mahesh Rao look on.
Dr. B.H. Manjunath, Director of the hospital, is seen addressing the press conference as Dr. A. Sonia Mandappa, Dr. K. Ravindranath, Dr. Harish Kejriwal and Dr. B.M. Mahesh Rao look on.

Mysore :

Brindavan Hospital, a Unit of Vidyaranya Multi-Specialty Hospital Pvt. Ltd., today opened its Multispecialty Hospital and a dedicated health care and cure centre services for the people of city at Jayalakshmipuram in city.

Earlier, addressing a press conference in city, Dr. B.H. Manjunath said that the unit has been created to serve the people of Mysore which has been registering a high number of patients related to various diseases in the recent times than earlier and added that Brindavan Hospital strives to provide accessible and affordable healthcare to the masses and the project is another step in achieving the objective of extending a helping hand to the people to make their health good.

Speaking about the medical treatment facilities available at the hospital, he said that the hospital provides Advanced Ortho care, Advanced OBG care such as painless labour, laproscopic Surgeries, Infertility Clinic, High Risk Pregnancy, Advanced Neonatal Care, Advanced Nephro and Urology care, Advanced ENT Care and Advanced Reconstructive Surgery besides providing 24×7 facility in Accident and Trauma Care, Casualty and Intensive Care, Pharmacy, Ambulance service and Laboratory and radiology services.

He further said that with the commencement of the multi speciality hospital, people living in and around Mysore district will have an access to the quality and affordable screening and treatment facilities in city.

Directors of Brindavan Hospital Dr. K. Ravindranth, Dr. Harish Kejriwal, Dr. B.M. Mahesh Rao and Dr. A. Sonia Mandappa were present at the press meet.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / April 27th, 2014

CFTRI’s Researcher receives Gandhian Young Technological Innovations Award

Records, All, Science & Technology
Rajiv Ranjan, Junior Researcher at CSIR-CFTRI, is seen receiving the national award from eminent scientist Dr. R. A. Mashelkar at a function in Ahmedabad recently as others look on.
Rajiv Ranjan, Junior Researcher at CSIR-CFTRI, is seen receiving the national award from eminent scientist Dr. R. A. Mashelkar at a function in Ahmedabad recently as others look on.

Mysore :

Rajiv Ranjan, a Junior Research Fellow at the Mysore-based CSIR-Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI), Mysore, has bagged the 2014 Gandhian Young Technological Innovations Award.

He won the award for designing bioluminescence based “simple tool for detection of hazardous materials and sanitary condition at rural level.”

The award is instituted by SRISTI (The Society for Research and Initiatives for Sustainable Technologies and Institutions).

Ranjan received the award from eminent scientist Padma Bhushan Dr. R. A. Mashelkar at a function held in Ahmedabad recently.

Using Rajiv Ranjan’s invention, presence of very low levels of pollutants like mercury, cadmium, arsenic and 2-4 dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (a remnant of pesticides) can be detected. Within half-an-hour the device can show the presence of up to 2 ppm of mercury, 4 ppm of arsenic, 16 ppm of cadmium and 100 ppm of 2-4 dichlorophenoxyacetic acid. Besides, it can also detect presence of 100 cfu (colony forming units) per ml of bacteria in samples of food, milk and fruit juice.

The device has been designed using a marine luminescent bacterium and luciferin extracted from a new kind of firefly. For details, contact A. S. K. V. S. Sharma on Ph: 0821-2515910.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / April 24th, 2014

Bhramara Trust to present Lifetime Achievement Award for Science to IISC Director Dr. P. Balaram

Education, Records, All, Science & Technology

DrBalramBF28apr2014

Mysore :

Bhramara Trust of Y.T. and Madhuri Thathachari has organised a programme at Rani Bahadur Auditorium, Bahadur Institute of Management Sciences, Hunsur Road, on Apr. 24 at 5.30 pm, to present Bhramara’s Lifetime Achievement Award for Science -2014.

Prof. P. Balaram, Distinguished Professor of Molecular Biophysics and Director of the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore, is the recipient of the Award.

Dr. K.S. Krishnan of the National Centre for Biological Sciences, will be the chief guest. Prof. Ram Rajasekharan, Director, Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI), Mysore, will preside over the programme.

About Prof. P. Balaram: Prof. Balaram’s main research interests are in Bio-Organic Chemistry and Molecular Bio-Physics. He is the author of over 400 research papers. He received his M.Sc from IIT Kanpur (1969) and Ph.D in Chemistry from Carnegie-Mellon, Pittsburgh, USA (1972).

Prof. Balaram is a Fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences, Indian National Science Academy and the Third World Academy of Sciences, Trieste, Italy. He has received many awards/honours in recognition of his work, of which mention must be made of the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize of CSIR (1986), Alumni Award for Excellence in Research from IISc (1991), TWAS Award in Chemistry (1994), G.D. Birla Award for Scientific Research (1994), Distinguished Alumnus Award of IIT Kanpur (2000), Padma Shri by the Government of India (2002) and Padma Bhushan by the Government of India (2014).

Prof. Balaram has delivered a number of lectures and has served on the Editorial Boards of journals, both national and international. He has served on many committees of the Government of India, and is currently a Member, Science Advisory Committee to the Union Cabinet and Scientific Advisory Council to the Prime Minister, among others. He has been the Editor of “Current Science” during 1995-2013.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / April 22nd, 2014

First ever Rotablation in Mysore region successfully conducted at JSS Hospital

Records, All, Science & Technology
(from left) Dr. Umesh Nareppa, Dr. Shyam Prasad Shetty, Dr. Arun Srinivas and Dr. Sunil Kumar at the press meet held at JSS Hospital in city recently.
(from left) Dr. Umesh Nareppa, Dr. Shyam Prasad Shetty, Dr. Arun Srinivas and Dr. Sunil Kumar at the press meet held at JSS Hospital in city recently.

Mysore :

The Department of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Services of JSS Hospital, Mysore, conducted their first ever Rotablation, a revolutionary procedure to treat blocked arteries, at its hospital in city recently.

A team of Cardiologists including Dr. Guruprasad, lead by Dr. Arun Srinivas, performed the procedure.

Two patients, aged 63 and 66 years, with previous history of heart attacks and multiple blockages in their coronary arteries, underwent this procedure. Old age, poor ejection fraction, inefficient left heart pumping and a chronically ailing heart posed significant risk on them for a surgical procedure. Rotablation was the only procedure of choice in such a situation.

Both the patients have been discharged sound and fit and are back to their normal routines at home.

The team of doctors comprising — Dr. Nagaraj Desai, along with Dr. Arun Srinivas, Dr. Shamprasad Shetty, Dr. Sunil Kumar, Dr. Guruprasad, Dr. Umesh Nareppa, Dr. Dinesh Kumar and Dr. Murugesh Wali — successfully conducted the Rotablation procedure.

Dr. Nagaraj Desai, Professor and Head, Cardiovascular and Thoracic Services, JSS Hospital, said that Rotablation is extremely suited for those aged above 60 years, presenting with calcified arteries, where both angioplasty and by-pass surgery are considered difficult.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. R. K. Charturvedi, Director, JSS Hospital, said that the procedure was a very highly skilled and technically challenging treatment option where only a handful of hospitals in the country offer this procedure.

JSS Medical College Principal, Dr. Basavanagowdappa, said that with the successful conduct of this procedure, JSS Hospital has entered the league of a few elite super specialty cardiac centres in India and added that they were proud to have achieved this milestone.

Dr. R.K. Chaturvedi, Director, JSS Hospital; Dr. Basavanagowdappa, Principal, JSS Medical College; Dr. Nagaraj Desai, Professor and Head, JSS Hridayakshema; Mahesh, Director-Medical Education JSS Mahavidyapeetha; Dr. Arun Srinivas, Professor and Head, Dept. of Cardiology, Dr. Shamprasad Shetty, Professor and Head, Dept. of Cardiovascular Surgery were among those present at the press meet.

What is Rotablation?

Dr. Arun Srinivas, Professor and Head of the Department of Cardiology, said that Rotablation which is also known as Rotational Atherectomy, is a recent development in the field of Interventional Cardiology. It is a revolutionary procedure to remove the blockade in the coronary arteries, supplying the blood to the heart.

Dr. Arun Srinivas, addressing the press meet yesterday, said that this procedure has come as a boon to those patients where the open heart surgery poses a significantly high risk and added that the blockage is removed with a device which rotates at very high speed.

He said that the procedure is done with minimally invasive and does not inflict any major surgical injury to the patient. The patient is generally fit to be discharged in a day or to two, he added.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of  Mysore / Home> General News / April 17th, 2014

India-Australia workshop on Epithelial Development

Education, Science & Technology, World Opinion

Mangalore :

School of Life Sciences, Manipal University will host a two-day India-Australia workshop on “Epithelial Development, Function and Disease — New Frontiers and Therapies” on April 11 and 12.

A number of experts and resource persons from across the country and Australia will take part in the two-day workshop which will facilitate intellectual sharing at two different levels. The first stream is visualized to provide a platform to share real-world experiences and solutions to clinical problems in Australia and India, besides defining achievable directions for delivery of products that will benefit both patients and the community in India and Australia, particularly those in rural and remote communities and with inadequate resources.

The second stream viz. Frontier Research and Emerging Technologies focuses on cutting-edge research and emerging trends in the field. Both streams converge to establish successful productive partnerships towards an improved understanding of epithelial cell function and will be crucial in future for the diagnosis and treatment of epithelial diseases.

The conference overview and introduction to the conference will be given by Dr Sheel Nuna, Director, Queensland University of Technology, Australia and Dr Zee Upton, Assistant dean, also QUT, Australia respectively. Dr MRS Rao of Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR) Bangalore will give the inaugural address and Vice Chancellor Manipal University; Dr K. Ramnarayan will present a special address.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Mangalore / by Stanley Pinto, TNN / April 10th, 2014

World’s first startup hotline debuts in Bangalore

Business & Economy, Records, All, Science & Technology, World Opinion

Bangalore :

In a first, Microsoft Ventures in India has launched a hotline for entrepreneurs to get real-time professional advice on their business and technical queries.

A team of 4 professionals trained by Microsoft will staff JumpStart who will address queries related to accounting and taxation, legal, understanding term sheets and technology. Startup queries will be routed to a team of experts who will offer necessary interventions within 48 hours. The toll free number –1(800) 200-2114 -is open to entrepreneurs during business hours from Monday through Friday and supports Hindi and English languages to begin with. Microsoft Ventures is expecting 15-20 calls in the first few days that the number could gradually go up to 500-1,000 calls a month.

Kattayil Rajinish Menon, director, Microsoft Ventures in India, said, “Sometimes answering even simple questions about how to get started or which service provider to contact can really help startups avoid delays and cost overruns. While JumpStart cannot promise the success of a startup’s business, it can definitely help by educating entrepreneurs how to get started quickly by providing information on the vast resources available today.”

Microsoft Ventures has mapped all the states in India to provide local assistance by partnering with pointspersons at the district level to process queries coming from tier 2 and 3 regions. These could be lawyers, accountants and company secretaries identified in each district. “Our experience has shown that a major pain point for startups across the ecosystem in India, irrespective of their stage of maturity, is the lack of real-time support for various critical queries they face. JumpStart fills a major gap and ensures that startups get professional advice that enables them to make smart business decisions,” said Joseph Landes, general manager, Developer & Platform Evangelism in Microsoft India.

Srivatsa Krishna, secretary in the IT, biotechnology, science & technology in the Karnataka government, said this service will also be available shortly through the Karnataka new mobile governance system MobileOne Platform.

Ravi Gururaj, chairman of Nasscom Product Council, said, “Microsoft Ventures has identified this challenge that startups face, and taken concrete steps to address it, through JumpStart. It is an excellent initiative to get some support and start off quickly and efficiently. I urge everyone to take advantage of this facility.”

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Bangalore / Shilpa Phadnis, TNN / April 11th, 2014

Infosys Leads 5 Indian Projects Shortlisted For Green Oscars

Business & Economy, Records, All, Science & Technology, World Opinion

London :

IT giant Infosys leads five Indian clean energy projects that have been shortlisted for the annual Ashden Awards, referred to as the Green Oscars, here Wednesday.

The awards recognize worldwide contributions towards green energy initiatives and a move away from fossil fuels.

Infosys has been nominated in the ‘Ashden Award for Sustainable Buildings’ category for the Bangalore-based company’s cutting edge design of new buildings which helps keep offices cooler and maximizes natural light.
“Since 2008, global IT giant Infosys has cut more than $ 80 million from its energy bills and reduced electricity consumption per staff member by 44 percent. Its success lies in seizing every opportunity to reduce energy consumption in its existing buildings — from reducing the size of chiller plants for air conditioning, to painting roofs white so they reflect the heat,” reads the award nomination statement.

The other finalists include two projects from Maharashtra — Sakhi Unique Rural Enterprise (SURE) and Greenway Grameen — which have been nominated in the ‘Ashden Clean Energy for Women and Girls Award’ category.

SURE is a not-for-profit social enterprise in central Maharashtra that has selected, trained and supported more than 600 women micro-entrepreneurs to sell clean energy products like solar lanterns and cleaner cookstoves to other women.

Mumbai-based Greenway Grameen’s mission is to provide an affordable, desirable cookstove to improve quality of life for Indian women.

The Rajasthan Horticulture Development Society has been shortlisted for the ‘USAID Ashden Energy for Agriculture Award’ for its solar-powered water pump project and Mera Gao Power from Uttar Pradesh has been nominated in the ‘Citi Ashden Award for Innovation in Finance’ category for pioneering the use of unsubsidised commercial micro grids, which have so far connected more than 20,000 families to clean, affordable power.

“India is a hotbed of innovation in sustainable energy: from social enterprises that are meeting the energy needs of some of the poorest people in the country, to an IT giant that’s achieving staggering energy savings across all its business campuses.

“Together all five organizations are leading examples of what can be achieved. The rest of the world should take note,” said Ashden Awards founder Sarah Butler-Sloss.

A total of 14 Ashden Award winners will be announced at a gala ceremony at the Royal Geographical Society in London on May 22.

Winners will receive up to 40,000 pounds and global recognition as one of 2014’s green energy leaders.

source: http://www.siliconindia.com / Silicon India News / Home> News> Enterprise / Wednesday – April 09th, 2014